NEW National Grid chief executive Zoë Yujnovich has promised answers as to why the Wellington area has been hit with a series of eight major power cuts in the past seven months.

A spokesperson for Ms Yujnovich, who was only appointed last November, said her ‘local team’ would investigate and ‘provide an update on the network performance and availability’.

Thousands of people across large areas of Wellington and surrounding villages were left without electricity supplies for several hours during repeated breaks of high voltage cables near the town.

Some of the outages last summer were put down to accidents involving farmers using agricultural machinery, while the most recent incident in early January was a swan strike in which the bird died.

Ms Yujnovich was challenged on the resilience of the local power network by campaigner Andy Denison, a micro care provider who lives in Rockwell Green.

Mr Denison is also representing the Reform UK Party in an upcoming by-election in Rockwell Green for a seat on Wellington Town Council.

He has written to Ms Yujnovich to query the resilience of the local network and express fears that with the scale of future housebuilding in the town, the existing infrastructure might not be able to cope.

Mr Denison said: “The sheer number and frequency of outages have caused frustration across the community and prompted serious questions about the reliability of the local power infrastructure.

“These repeated outages have caused significant inconvenience for households, businesses, and vulnerable residents who rely on a stable supply of electricity for daily living, work, and essential care.

“With Wellington continuing to expand through new housing developments, it is reasonable to ask whether the existing power network is keeping pace with the area’s rapid growth.

“The central question now being raised by residents is clear, can the current supply cope with the increased demand brought about by years of development, or is it time for a long‑overdue upgrade to the local grid?

“Although energy infrastructure does not fall within the direct remit of a town councillor, the impact on Rockwell Green is too significant to ignore.

“Our community deserves a reliable power supply.

“Residents should not have to put up with repeated outages without clear explanations or a plan for improvement.

“If I am elected, I will push for transparency, accountability, and a proper assessment of whether our infrastructure is keeping up with the development happening across Wellington.

“I will press for answers from the relevant authorities and providers.”

Mr Denison said he accepted there were factors at play such as severe weather and incidents such as the swan strike which could not be prevented by National Grid, but the sheer number and frequency of outages was causing concern.

Voting in the Rockwell Green by-election will take place on Tuesday, February 10, between 7 am and 10 pm.

Other candidates who are standing in the by-election for Rockwell Green councillor are: Bethany Rose Hill (Labour Party), George Western (Liberal Democrats), and Edward Yates (Conservative Party).